Walking By Faith

 ““Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew‬ ‭11:28-30‬ ‭MSG‬‬ The other day while driving, I was consumed with many anxious thoughts…you ever have that happen? You’re thinking of one problem that needs solving, and somehow before long, all the other problems pile up, one on top of another and before long, you’re consumed by anxiety. Anyways, as that was happening, I saw the letters “NSR” - the license plate of the car ahead of me had those letters. Immediately I saw that, the scripture reference above popped into my minds eye - “unforced rhythms of grace…”. What does NSR mean, you may be wondering. Well, NSR to me (and other people in the world of Cardiology) means “Nor...

My understanding of scripture has lead me to the understanding that tithing is not a requirement in the new covenant. It’s a great guide but not a requirement. I do choose to “tithe”, cos giving is certainly a requirement for believers and it helps me make sure I’m giving something. When I say requirement I’m referring to giving as a response to what we have already received. Some people do 10% (which I believe helps get one into the habit of giving), and some give 90% and live off of 10%. What is in our hearts? The principle of giving as Paul delineates in 2 Corinthians is a pricinple that cannot be denied. But the rule of tithing has sometimes been abused in the New Covenant church. We have to be careful we don’t get dogmatic about this. Tithing on the gross? Tithing on the net? It doesn’t matter. Give what you purpose in your heart, give what you’re convicted to give, give willingly, for God Loves a cheerful giver. It might be 10% or it could be much more than that. The word “...

"Okay ladies and gents, ready for our adventure?", Lewis asked excitedly. "Yes!", they all replied, some more enthusiastic than others. "Tell me again why we are doing this?" Paige asked, not looking forward to the potentially harrowing trip ahead. "Because we all agreed to it, remember?" Lewis replied.  "Alright everyone, let's go over which route we will be taking to our destination", Lewis continued, getting everyone's attention and gathering the maps. "Okay, Group One, where are you?  Let's see...one, two, three...Yup, you're all here, and you all look ready to exercise those legs too", Lewis continued jokingly. "Ha ha, ever the jokester, huh?" Jim replied, heading towards him. "It's going to be fun guys! Trust me", Lewis laughingly encouraged. "Okay, Jim, you are leading Group One and you'll take this route", Lewis said as he handed him a map and route inst...

" We are hard-pressed in every side but not crushed; We are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed..." 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 In light of all that has been happening in our world today, hurricanes, monsoons, earthquakes, fires, shootings, mass murders - most recently the murders of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in the church shootings (the latest being the Sutherland Spring shooting that left 26 dead and several injured), it occurs to me that we, as the Body of Christ must do something! But what can we do? Church, we must rise up and unite in this season. This unity was certainly important to Christ for He took the time to pray that we would be one unified body (John 17:21). This is really not a time to bicker and fight amongst ourselves, but a time of prayer, and I mean prayer! We must rise up, unite and pray like we've never prayed before! We must "avoid every stupid and foolish controversies and gen...

It can never be said enough, God loves you! And me! It can never be quoted enough,  "...For God so loved the world (you and me included) that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever  (again, that's you and me included) believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life"   (John 3:16) . Nearly everyone can quote this scripture, believers and unbelievers alike. It's one of the most popular verses, and yet, one of the most difficult concepts to grasp...at least, for me. I mean, God's love seems to have so many facets...He loves us at our best, and even in our weakest moments. It's amazing! I'm not just saying this...I've experienced it...His love...in one of my weak moments. Yes, His love is amazing, yet somewhat difficult to grasp. Maybe because we've equated earthly love to God's love for us. Throughout history, love has been commended for many great things, and blamed for may atrocities. God's kind of love is so different th...

I’m not really one for war movies and stuff, and I admire those who are brave and selfless enough to join any kind of battle field, be it the Army, the Navy, the Air force, etc. Kudos to you all for real! Now, in those war movies you all like to watch, have you ever seen a soldier on the front-line not use his/her weapon in the midst of battle? I mean, one can’t hope to win any kind of battle without some sort of weaponry…that would be a futile attempt. So, why, as Christians do we think we can do this…fight without a weapon? We do this every day when we attempt to fight the enemy of our souls with our own devices, instead of using the weapons that  we've  all be given, “…for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds…” (2 Corinthians 10:4). It’s sometimes easier to give up than fight. Actually…it is always easier to give up than fight. I know sometimes  I've  been tempted to hightail it out of the battlefi...

Here's a puzzle for you: What is a great thing to have, but can lead to wars and destruction? What can do a whole lot of good but at the same time wreck havoc in the lives of many? You guessed it...money. They say money talks. This idiom is used when referring to people or organizations that are rich and can get or do whatever they want. Money seems to wield a lot of power in society and seems to follow this equation: Money=Power. In this society, money gets you places you wouldn't otherwise get to without it. “There’s nothing money can’t buy” , some have said. “For the right price, you can get anything ”, others have touted. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and the blue collars get well, either richer or poorer depending. It’s no wonder we all want have some. I mean, let’s all be truthful here: who wants to be poor and broke? Who  doesn't  want to have all their bills paid, their needs met, their wants funded, and to live the lavish lifestyle of the rich and f...

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no ficklenss, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17, AKJV Have you noticed that when you look hard for something, or focus strongly on something, you will usually find it? For instance, if you decide that you'd like to purchase a blue Toyota Camry, whereas you never really noticed it on the road before, you will begin to see it more often than before. Why is that? Is it because there are now more blue Toyota Camry's on the road than before? I'd venture to say that is not the case. You never noticed them before because they were not of much interest to you. Thus, because your focus changed, it became more likely that you would begin to notice them. The more you focus on something, the more you begin to notice it. Likewise, the more you focus on the negative things happening in your life, the more you'll begin to see them. The reverse is also true: the more...

It is so very important that we know who and whose we are in Christ! This knowing will prevent us for succumbing to the Devil's taunts and temptations.  In the wilderness, Satan taunts Jesus with this recurring phrase, "IF You are the Son of God..." [Read: Matthew 4:1-11]. The conjunction, "if" was used deliberately for two purposes: 1) to produce doubt in Jesus' mind as to who He really was. 2)  to cause Jesus to try and prove His worth by doing the things the enemy wanted Him to do, thereby succumbing to the temptation. BUT Jesus, understanding Who He was said in essence, "there are no "IF"s about it...I don't have anything to prove...I AM the Son of God". Are you in the "wilderness"? In a place where resources are limited, problems seem to proliferate, and temptations abound? Your dreams don't seem to be coming to pass? Don't try to take matters into your own hands. Don't try to solve you problems the way th...

QUICKSAND The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins nor dealt with us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:8-12) Have you ever done something so terrible or made such a mess of your life that hopelessness becomes your constant companion? Do you find yourself in that place right now, wondering "How in the world did I get here?". Even as Christians, we sometimes get ourselves into murky circumstances, with habitual sins and hangups designed to trap us. James, the brother of Jesus, explains the destructive nature of sin when he writes, "...each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has ...

“ “Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!  “   [2 Corinthians 5:17] We cannot talk about change without discussing the biggest change of all: becoming a new creation in Christ. True and lasting change can only come about by one source: Jesus Christ, for He is our Change Agent.                                                                         A change agent is someone who  "alters human capability or organizational systems t...

  “ “I will not leave you nor forsake you…only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you; have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  [Joshua 7:5a-7; 9] In the scriptures, Joshua is Moses’ assistant and was tutored in the way of battle by Moses, amongst other things; but when Moses died, Joshua was called to take over the task of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, a very huge undertaking I imagine. I’m sure he felt fear at the responsibility that seemed thrust upon him, and God knew this, allaying Joshua’s fear with the command to be of good courage, not be afraid or dismayed; and the promise of guidance and companionship. God is saying that to you as well, “Be strong and very courageous, do not fear or be dismayed…”. Like Joshua, fear might be invading your heart at the pros...

  " Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me." - John 14:6 "Uhhhh...I thought you said it didn't matter what route we took, we would all get to our destination", she said, unsure. "Well...that's what I was told. Why, what's the problem?" He asked, coming up behind her "What is  that ?" she asked, pointing below to the deep and wide fissure interrupting the path to their destination "Oh!", He said in dismay. There doesn't seem to be a way around it. I wonder what we...", He said, trailing off when he saw a group of people a few yards ahead making their way across the fissure. "How are you all doing that?", He called out to them.  "It's not us", they responded. "It seems like a way has already been made for us", one said.  "Really?", he said, walking towards the group. He looked down and t...